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College Student Curry

Servings: —
This is a really good dish to make if you have some random ingredients lying around and some spices. You can put whatever you want in it, but I like to keep the number of different things going into the curry to about 4. Otherwise it gets a little craaaaaaaaaazy. Anyways, you don’t really need all of these ingredients, the coconut milk makes it really good, but you don’t have to put it in. If you don’t use it, just cook the curry for a while, and keep adding water until some of the vegetables fall apart and make a nice squishy sauce. The tomato paste is optional too.

Ingredients
Pretty crucial
1 lg onion – chopped
4-6 cloves garlic – minced
1/4 cup ginger – minced (this seems like a lot, but it’s good)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
Optional (chose about 4, not including coconut milk, tomato paste, or vegi bullion cube)
cauliflower – chopped
eggplant – chopped
butternut squash – chopped
sweet potato – chopped
tofu – cubed
potato – chopped
carrot – chopped
bell peppers – chopped
frozen peas – add these at the very end of cooking so that they defrost, but don’t get overcooked.
1 vegi bullion cube
1 can coconut milk
1/2 can tomato paste
to add after cooking
chopped cilantro
mung bean sprouts
scallions
hot sauce – I usually let people put in their own hot s

Directions
Put some oil in the bottom of a pretty big pot. Add the onions, and cook them until they’re about half done (maybe 2-5 minutes). Then, add all the other “”pretty crucial ingredients”” or whatever combination you happen to have around. Make sure you have enough oil so that the spices don’t stick and burn, and cook all this stuff for about 1 minute. Then add about a cup of water and the vegi bullion cube, and start adding “”Optional ingredients””. If you have something that will take longer to cook like a potato, add that first and let it cook for about 5 minutes before you put the other ingredients in. When it looks like everything you decided to add is cooked, add the half can coconut milk and heat it till it’s hot. If you’re adding the tomato past, add it now too. If you’re not adding the coconut milk, add more water, and smoosh some of the vegetables so that you get a thick sauce. If you add too much water, you can just keep cooking it until it evaporates off. It’s pretty hard to overcook this curry. Once you have the consistency you want, add the peas (if you want), and cook until they’re defrosted. Turn the heat off, and add any of the “”ingredients to add after cooking””. I think the cilantro makes it really good.

Serve over rice. Brown rice is good for you.

Cold Sesame Noodles

Servings: 6-8
Source: Feb/Mar 2000 Fine Cooking pg 49
Make the sesame pur6e several hours or a day ahead to let the flavors marry, but whisk in the water just before serving for a smooth, creamy consistency. The noodles can rest, cooked and tossed in oil, for half an hour, but don’t dress them until ready to serve.

Ingredients
FOR THE SESAME DRESSING:
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp (4 oz) sesame seeds
7 Tbsp peanut oil
3 med or 2 lg shallots (ab 2 oz total), sliced
1 lg clove garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup sugar
¾ to 1 cup water (or less)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
FOR THE NOODLES:
12 oz fresh Chinese egg noodles (sometimes called wonton noodles)
3 Tbsp peanut oil 1 cup blanched snow peas, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup thinly sliced daikon radish
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
½ cup chopped peanuts
1 cup thinly sliced scallions (cut on the bias on a sharp angle)

Directions
Serves six as a main dish; eight to ten as a side dish.

To make the dressing-Heat the oven to 350°F. Put the sesame seeds on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven until golden brown and fragrant, 15 to 20 min. Be careful not to overcook them. Put the toasted seeds in a blender.

In a skillet, heat I Tbsp of the peanut oil over medium-low heat. Sauté the shallots and garlic until softened, 3 to 5 min. Set side to cool. Add the shallots, garlic, remaining 6 Tbsp peanut oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and chile paste to the sesame seeds in the blender. Blend on high speed just until a thick, rough paste forms, 2 to 3 min. Stop blending when most of the seeds have broken up and been pureed. After the paste forms, it will begin to get oily if you continue to pur6e it, as the seeds begin to give off their oil. Refrigerate the purse (for up to a day).

To cook and dress the noodles-Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a rolling boil. Gently fluff the noodles and add them to the water, stirring. Return the water to a boil and cook the noodles for just 1 0 to 30 seconds. (These tiny fresh noodles don’t need much cooking. If it takes a minute or more for the water to come back to a boil, the noodles will already be done.) Drain the noodles immediately and cool them under cold running water. Drain well. Put the cold noodles in a bowl and toss with the peanut oil.

To assemble-When ready to dress the noodles, remove the pur6e from the refrigerator. Drain off any oil that has gathered on the top. Whisk about ¾ cup water into the purse to thin it and to reach a creamy consistency; the sauce will lighten in color and become emulsified; add more water as needed. Add the chopped cilantro to the sauce.

In a large bowl, toss the noodles with about half the dressing. Add the snow peas, red pepper, and daikon, and toss to combine (using your hands is easiest). Add more dressing if you like. Put the noodles in large serving bowl or on individual plates. Garnish with cilantro leaves, chopped peanuts, and sliced scallions, or pass little bowls of the garnishes at the table.

Cod with Miso Glaze and Wasabi Mashed Potatoes

Servings: 6
Preheat: 450°
At the restaurant, they use black cod, also known as sablefish. We call for more readily available white cod fillets.

Ingredients
1/2 cup light yellow miso
5 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 6 oz cod fillets, each cut into 2 pieces

Directions
Wasabi Mashed Potatoes Preheat oven to 450°F. Blend miso, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and cayenne pepper in processor. With machine running, gradually pour in oil; blend until mixture is smooth. Place cod fillets in large bowl. Pour half of miso mixture over fish; toss to coat. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. When oven is pre-heated, turn on broiler, and broil cod 8 inches from heat until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Turn off broiler, and finish cooking in 450°F oven until cod is opaque in center, about 5 minutes. Divide cod among 6 plates. Spoon Wasabi Mashed Potatoes alongside. Drizzle remaining half of miso mixture over cod and potatoes, if desired, and serve.

Citrus Salad with Sweet Fennel

Servings: —

Ingredients
5 juice oranges
1 lg fennel bulb
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
Cut a slice from top and bottom of each orange to expose pulp and cut peel and pith from oranges, working from top to bottom. Cut oranges crosswise into ¼ inch thick slices and transfer to a bowl with any juice.

Trim off fennel stalks flush with bulb and halve bulb lengthwise. Remove most of core from bulb by making an inverted “v” shape, leaving enough core to keep layers intact. Thinly slice bulb lengthwise with a mandoline or other manual slicer and toss with oranges, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Let salad stand, stirring occasionally, until fennel is slightly wilted, about 20 minutes. Drizzle with oil.

Gourmet

Cioppino

Servings: 6
Prep Time: 45 min
Inactive Prep Time: 45 min
Source: Gourmet | March 2002

Ingredients
4 lg garlic cloves, minced
2 med onions, finely chopped
1 Turkish bay leaf or ½ California bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano, crumbled
1 tsp dried hot red pepper flakes
1½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ cup olive oil
1 green bell pepper, cut into ¼”” dice
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1½ cup dry red wine
1 (28- to 32 oz) can whole plum tomatoes, drained, reserving juice, and chopped
1 cup bottled clam juice
1 cup chicken broth
1 (1 lb) king crab leg, thawed if frozen
18 sm (2-inch) hard-shelled clams (1½ lb) such as littlenecks, scrubbed
1 lb skinless red snapper or halibut fillets, cut into 1½”” pieces
1 lb lg shrimp (16 to 20), shelled (tails and bottom segment of shells left intact) and deveined
¾ lb sea scallops, tough muscle removed from side of each if necessary
¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
Garnish: shredded fresh basil leaves and sm whole leaves
Accompaniment: focaccia or sourdough bread

Directions
Cook garlic, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and red pepper flakes with salt and pepper in oil in an 8-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil until reduced by about half, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice, clam juice, and broth and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

While stew is simmering, hack crab leg through shell into 2- to 3-inch pieces with a large heavy knife. Add crab pieces and clams to stew and simmer, covered, until clams just open, 5 to 10 minutes, checking every minute after 5 minutes and transferring opened clams to a bowl with tongs or a slotted spoon. (Discard any unopened clams after 10 minutes.) Lightly season fish fillets, shrimp, and scallops with salt and add to stew, then simmer, covered, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf, then return clams to pot and gently stir in parsley and basil.

Serve cioppino immediately in large soup bowls.

Chocolate-Chunk Oatmeal Cookies with Pecans and Dried Cherries

Servings: 2 doz
We like these cookies made with pecans and dried sour cherries, but walnuts or skinned hazelnuts can be substituted for the pecans, and dried cranberries for the cherries. Quick oats used in place of the old-fashioned oats will yield a cookie with slightly less chewiness. If your baking sheets are smaller than the ones described in the recipe, bake the cookies in three batches instead of two. These cookies keep for 4 to 5 days stored in an airtight container or zipper-lock plastic bag, but they will lose their crisp exterior and become uniformly chewy after a day or so.

Ingredients
1¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (6¼ ounces)
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp table salt
1¼ cup rolled oats , old-fashioned, (3½ oz) 1 cup toasted pecans (4 ounces), chopped
1 cup dried tart cherries (5 ounces), chopped coarse
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks about size of chocolate chips (ab ¾ cup)
12 Tbsp unsalted butter (1½ sticks), softened but still cool
1½ cup packed brown sugar (10½ ounces), preferably dark
1 lg egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
1. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions; heat oven to 350°. Line 2 large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. In second medium bowl, stir together oats, pecans, cherries, and chocolate.

3. In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until no sugar lumps remain, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula; add egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low speed until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl; with mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture; mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running on low, gradually add oat/nut mixture; mix until just incorporated. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

4. Divide dough evenly into 16 portions, each about ¼ cup, then roll between palms into balls about 2 inches in diameter; stagger 8 balls on each baking sheet, spacing them about 2½ inches apart. Using hands, gently press each dough ball to 1 inch thickness. Bake both baking sheets 12 minutes, rotate them front to back and top to bottom, then continue to bake until cookies are medium brown and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will seem underdone and will appear raw, wet, and shiny in cracks), 8 to 10 minutes longer. Do not overbake.

5. Cool cookies on baking sheets on wire rack 5 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Servings: 4 doz
Source: Fine Cooking No. 23 Best of Fine Cooking
The texture of these simple-to-bake cookies is like a delicate yet fudgy brownie.

Ingredients
4½ oz. (1 cup) all-purpose flour
½ cup natural or Dutch-processed cocoa
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. table salt
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 oz. (2 Tbs.) vegetable shortening
½ cup packed brown sugar, sifted free of lumps
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
About ¼ lb. (3/4 cup) chopped walnuts

Directions
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment or foil. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix thoroughly with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter and shortening on medium speed until creamy. Add both sugars, beating until well combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Mix in the nuts.

Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of batter about 1½ inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. (After 5 minutes, switch the pans from top to bottom and rotate them from back to front for even baking.) The cookies will puff up and then settle down slightly when done. Let cool on the baking sheets on a rack for a few minutes. With a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Tipped Pecan Bars

Servings: —
Preheat: 350°
Source: From the International Cookie Cookbook by Nancy Baggett
There are many versions of this super-rich bar cookie around the United States today. Some recipes specify cutting the bars into diamonds, others into squares or rectangles. In this version, the cookies are thinnish rectangles with a narrow end dipped in a glossy chocolate glaze.

Ingredients

SHORTBREAD
3/4 cup all-purpose or unbleached white fiour
I tablespoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 CUP (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1-to 1 ½ tablespoons light cream

PECAN TOPPING
1 ½ cups chopped pecans
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter
½ cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light cream
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

CHOCOIATE GIAZE
1 ½ ounces semisweet chocolate
1 ½ ounce unsweetened chocolate
2 teaspoons solid vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon honey

Directions
To prepare shortbread, thoroughly stir together flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add butter and cut into dry ingredients with a pastry blender or forks until the’mixture resembles coarse meal. Add I tablespoon cream and toss until well distributed and dough begins to bind together when pressed into a ball. If necessary, add more cream by teaspoons until a dough forms, but do not overmoisten. (Alternatively, combine dry ingredients and butter in food processor bowl fitted with a steel blade and process in on/ off pulses until the mixture resembles coarse meal, being careful not to overprocess. Add I tablespoon cream and process in on/off pulses until dough begins to hold together. Add a bit more cream if needed to bind dough, but do not overmoisten.)

Turn dough into an ungreased 8-inch square baking pan and press out toward edges to form a smooth, evenly thick layer.

Place in the center of the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Remove shortbread from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

To prepare the pecan topping, spread pecans in a large baking pan and toast, stirring several times for 5 to 6 minutes. Place butter in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat and heat until melted and bubbling. Simmer over medium heat for 2 minutes, adjusting heat if necessary and being careful not to burn butter. Stir in brown sugar, honey, and granulated sugar. Stirring frequently, bring mixture to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Add toasted pecans, cream, and vanilla and stir until well combined. (The proportion of nuts to sugar-butter mixture will seem high but it is correct.) Spread pecan mixture evenly over shortbread.

Return to the oven and bake at 350° for 20 to 22 minutes, or until topping is bubbly and golden brown. Remove baking pan from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool to warm before cutting. (If dough is too warm when cut bars will be crumbly; if it’s too cool, it will be too firm to cut easily, so check frequently.)

Carefully cut into 16 equal squares with a sharp knife. Then, cut squares in half to form rectangular bars. Using a spatula, transfer bars to a wire rack set over a sheet of waxed paper.

To prepare glaze, combine semisweet and unsweetened chocolate, solid shortening, and honey in a small, heavy saucepan and warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and runny; be careful not to burn. Working quickly before glaze cools and stiffens, dip one narrow end of each bar into glaze. Return bars to rack and let stand for at least 45 minutes, or until the glaze sets.

Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week. Bars may be frozen if desired. Keep refrigerated after thawing.

Makes 32 2-by-l-inch bars.

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes

Servings: 8-10
Source: Fine Cooking June/July 2003 pg 51

Ingredients
FOR THE CHOCOLATE BISCUITS:
10 oz (ab 2¼ cups) all-purpose flour
1½
ounces (ab ¼ cup plus 3 Tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder, such as Droste
¼ cup granulated sugar; plus about 3 Tbsp for sprinkling
1½ Tbsp baking powder
¾ tsp table salt
4½ oz (9 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into sm pieces
6½ oz semisweet chocolate, grated or finely chopped (the food processor works well); more for garnish
1¼ cup heavy cream; plus about 3 Tbsp for brushing
1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
FOR THE STRAWBERRIES:
5 cup 1/8-inch-thick strawberry slices (from about 3 pints)
1 to 3 Tbsp granulated sugar, depending on the sweetness of the berries
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM:
1½ cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
¾ tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions
Make the biscuits: Line a heavy baking sheet with parchment. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Toss with a fork to combine. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or a fork until the largest pieces of butter are the size of peas. Add the grated chocolate and toss to combine. Combine the cream and vanilla in a liquid measure. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the cream into the well. Mix with a fork until the dough is evenly moistened and just combined; it should look shaggy and still feel a little dry. Gently knead by hand five or six times to pick up any dry ingredients remaining in the bottom of the bowl and to create a loose ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat it into an 8-inch square, ¾ to 1 inch thick. Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 425°F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and trim about ¼ inch from each side to create a neat, sharp edge (a bench knife or a pastry scraper works well, or use a large chef’s knife, being sure to cut straight down). Cut the dough into 9 even squares (about 2½ inches square) and spread them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. With a pastry brush or the back of a spoon, brush each biscuit with a thin layer of cream and sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake until the biscuits look a little dry and are mostly firm to the touch (they should spring back slightly when gently pressed), 18 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the strawberries: Toss the berries with 1 tablespoon sugar and taste. If they’re still tart, sprinkle with another 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar. Let sit at room temperature until the sugar dissolves and the berries begin to release their juices, at least 30 minutes but no more than 2 hours.

Whip the cream: Pour the cream into a cold mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer until it begins to thicken. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and, using a whisk, continue to beat by hand until the cream is softly whipped or until the whisk leaves distinct marks in the cream; it should be soft and billowy but still hold its shape.

Assemble the shortcakes: While the biscuits are still warm, split them in half horizontally with a serrated knife. For each serving, set the bottom half of a biscuit on a plate. Scoop about 1/2 cup of the berries and their juices over the biscuit. Add a generous dollop of whipped cream and cover with the top half of the biscuit. Top with a small dollop of cream and any garnish the recipe calls for.

Garnish with some grated chocolate and a berry or two and serve.

Make-ahead tips

FOR THE BISCUITS: I prefer to serve the biscuits warm-not hot-from the oven, but you can make them several hours in advance. (You can even bake the biscuits a day ahead, or freeze them for up to three months, although their texture will suffer slightly.) Just before serving, reheat the prepared biscuits in a 200°F oven until warmed through.

FOR THE BERRIES: You can slice the berries hours ahead of time and refrigerate them. Half an hour before assembling the shortcakes, toss the berries with the sugar and let them sit at room temperature.

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM: Underwhip your cream and refrigerate it, covered, until ready to serve. Then use a whisk to finish whipping.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Servings: 36
Source: Fine Cooking No. 23 Best of Fine Cooking
Chopping your own chocolate into chunks gives the pieces a welcome lack of uniformity: some bites yield especially big “”chips.”

Ingredients
9½ oz (2 cup plus 2 Tbs.) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp table salt
½ lb (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temp
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp very firmly packed light brown sugar
2 lg eggs
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
9 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2½ oz milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt to blend. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl again. With the mixer on low speed, slowly blend in the flour mixture until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Fold in the chopped chocolate with the spatula, making sure all the flour and butter are thoroughly combined.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake until the cookies are golden brown on the edges and slightly soft in the center, about 15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 1 minute before transferring them to a rack to cool.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for to three days.